The Monster Inside of Me
by sketchingapollo
Summary: Grantaire was still a man. He looked the same as he always did, except for being bald, having permanent scars and bruises all over his body, and having the most hideous tattoos upon his face. He was as hideous and broken on the outside as he felt on the inside, and it only filled him with more hate than he'd had before the curse. [Beauty and the Beast AU]


**AN: It's been a long time since I've actually posted a fanfiction, but my E/R feels are too much for me to handle. I couldn't get this headcanon out of my head. Think of the movie "Beastly" when you think of how Grantaire looks - he's still human, just ugly. Cosette and Enj are siblings. If this sucks, please feel free to tell me. Also, the rest of the Amis will come up in the following chapters. The beginning little section is obviously the prologue from the animated version of Beauty and the Beast. I'm done rambling now. Oh wait, theonewhowrites (on tumblr) is my beta. Idk what her fanfiction is. Gah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis, Beauty and the Beast, Beastly, or any characters mentioned in this story. **

* * *

_Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind._

_But then, one winter's night, an old beggar-woman came to the castle, and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress._

_The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world._

_The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return, by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope._

_For who could ever learn to love a beast?_

* * *

At sunrise every morning, Enjolras liked to take a walk around the village. The way the light illuminated the streets and the little shops on either side of them was one thing that Enjolras found beautiful about where he lived. Also, it was a good time to get the supplies his family would need for the day, because the shops were only just opening and everything was fresh.

It was the same routine every morning. He would go to the shops with a basket, starting with the bakery. He'd been there everyday at the same time for so long that his order was already ready to be picked up when he was there. He paid the baker with a smile and waved. Next, he would go to the market to get eggs and fresh fruit for breakfast (raspberries for his father, strawberries for Cosette). Whilst at the market, he said hello to all the same people he said hello to every day. He made more stops at the butcher, the tailor, the shoemaker until he had everything he needed. Then he went home, did his chores, read, and went to sleep only to do the same thing again the next morning.

This particular morning was going to be no different, unsurprisingly to Enjolras. He had woken up earlier than usual, but that only meant that he would have some extra time for himself before he had to be home to make breakfast. He dressed, grabbed his basket, and made his way out into the village. When he was finished with everything, he had one last stop to make. The bookstore.

There was only one bookstore in the small village, and it was Enjolras' favorite place in the world. Since he was young boy, he went there everyday and picked out a new book, which he typically finished by that night. Now that he was almost twenty one, he was beginning to run out of books to read. He didn't mind going in everyday, though, because the atmosphere is nice and even though it's familiar and growing slightly boring, it feels like home to him.

He walked up to the bookstore with a smile on his face, going inside to see that it was empty besides the man that ran the store, Feuilly. "Good morning, Monsieur. Any new books in?"

Feuilly looked up from the book he was reading and shook his head with a smile. "Since yesterday? No. You really should space out your visits or there won't be any books left for you to read." He teased.

"But then I wouldn't get to see my favorite store owner everyday," Enjolras teased back as he looked around the shelves at all the books he'd already read, chewing on his bottom lip as he found one he'd never seen before. "What's this?"

Feuilly looked up and tilted his head. "Hm. I've never seen that one before." He reached out to take the book. "It's written by some man named Lamarque, some sort of revolutionary, I think." He handed the book back to Enjolras and smiled. "Gonna try it out?"

Enjolras looked at the book - it had a red cover and the title was simple: Liberté. He'd never really read any "revolutionary" books before - it had been something he'd always been interested in, but had really never gotten around to researching. He shrugged before nodding. "Why not?" He put the book in his basket and left a coin on the table for Feuilly. The man never charged him for books because Enjolras was one of his favorite customers, but he usually insisted on paying. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Feuilly began to object about the money, but before he could say anything, Enjolras was gone.

* * *

Enjolras liked taking the long way home through the town square, mostly because he enjoyed saying hello to everyone that he knew. Which was...well, everyone. The town that he lived in was so small and everyone knew everyone, and he liked it that way. It felt more like a family.

Or it would, if it wasn't for the fact that whenever Enjolras walked away, he heard people whispering about him quite literally behind his back. He'd gotten used to the fact that he was unusual compared to everyone else that lived there. He thought differently, he supposed, and he certainly talked differently. It would bother most people to be spoken about that way. It certainly bothered Cosette to hear such things said about her older brother - it bothered her so much that she sometimes came home crying. Enjolras brushed it off easily, however, because he had dreams that were bigger than the town they lived in or anyone in it. Dreams he'd never dare telling Cosette or his father. Enjolras had dreams to see the world, to learn new things, make a change...he just didn't know how he was going to achieve them yet.

Enjolras was only a couple of minutes away from home when he ran into someone - someone with a broad, muscular chest - and stumbled backwards. He looked up to see Montparnasse, a man he'd known for the better part of his life. He immediately rolled his eyes at the smirk that was on Montparnasse's face.

Montparnasse was known as being the most handsome and charming man in the entire town, which Enjolras couldn't disagree with. However, he was also known as a heartbreaker, which was a title that Enjolras was not impressed with. He didn't see why people were always fawning over the man - he didn't find Montparnasse to be anything particularly special, and he liked Montrapasse's friend, Marius Pontmercy, a great deal more.

Marius had been kicked out of his home about two years ago for being a "shame to the family." Or at least, that's how Marius' grandfather would describe it if you asked him now. No one knew the real reason for the fallout that happened between Marius and his grandfather, and the boy certainly didn't like to talk about it. When he had been kicked out, he met Montparnasse, who reluctantly took him in. To show his gratitude for taking him in, Marius waited on the man hand and foot and was his permanent wing man. Although Enjolras found that to be a bit ridiculous, he also thought it was a bit cute. Marius was a good man, even if he was in bad company.

"I'm terribly sorry, Monsieur Montparnasse. I was distracted." Enjolras said politely with a smile, bending down to pick up the basket he had dropped, glad that he hadn't spilled the contents everywhere.

Montparnasse flashed a charming smile that Enjolras figured was supposed to make him swoon. He'd seen it used on dozens of girls in the village. "It was my fault, Enjolras. I'm sorry," He apologized, taking Enjolras' hand and kissing it. Enjolras had to stop himself from snorting, taking his hand away immediately. "Let me walk you to your house. Marius, take his things."

Marius nodded, immediately taking the basket from Enjolras' hand before he could protest. Enjolras took it right back, smiling at Marius. "No, that's not necessary, gentlemen. My house is only a few paces from here."

Montparnasse frowned, taking the basket back from Enjolras and shoving it at Marius. "I insist," He said. He took Enjolras' arm with a grin and began walking toward his house, Marius a few paces behind them. Montparnasse looked at Enjolras after a couple of moments of silence, his features softening a bit. "I hear that you like to read, Enjolras. Is that right?"

Enjolras didn't appreciate the way that Montparnasse was speaking to him. It seemed belittling. However, he bit back a sarcastic remark and forced a smile. "Very much so, sir. It's how I spent the majority of my free time."

"You know," Marius popped up next to Enjolras with a smile. He blushed the minute Enjolras' eyes shifted to him, obviously uncomfortable having any sort of attention - Enjolras doubted he got any at all with Montparnasse around. "The library at Montparnasse's estate is quite large and filled with a lot of books. It's really exquisite, I myself can spend-"

Montparnasse shoved Marius back lightly, causing the freckled-faced boy to stumble. "That's enough, Pontmercy." He snapped. Marius sighed and looked down, falling back obediently. "He's right, you know. There are more books than anyone could ever want at my house, my father had been building up the collection for years before he passed away. You can call on me anytime and I could show you. I'm sure there are a few books there that you'd enjoy. There are-"

"That's very nice of you, Montparnasse. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Enjolras cut him off with a polite smile, knowing he very well was never going to take the man up on that offer.

"We could have dinner together, if you'd like. Your sister would be invited as well, to keep Marius company while you and I get better acquainted."

Marius' face lit up at that, his eyes going wide as he looked at Enjolras. "Oh, yes. I find your sister to be very good company, I certainly wouldn't mind.."

Enjolras almost felt bad for having to stifle a laugh. No matter how much he liked Marius, he would never let his sister anywhere near Montparnasse's house. He did find it cute, though, how excited Marius got at the mention of Cosette. Perhaps in a more public place, the two of them could spend some time together. "I'll talk to her about it and see what she thinks," he lied as they reached the front of his home. "Oh, look, here we are. Thank you for walking me home." Enjolras grabbed the basket from Marius, murmuring a "thank you" and began walking towards the front door of his home.

Montparnasse frowned, walking towards him. "Marius can carry that in-"

"Au revoir!" Enjolras called as he walked inside of the house and closed the door before either of them could object.

He walked inside to see Cosette sitting at the kitchen table, writing in her journal yet again. Lately, Enjolras noticed that she'd been writing a lot more than she usually did. He wasn't sure what she could possibly be writing about - he never saw anything in her that was into creatively writing, so Enjolras figured it was about some boy she'd met or some dream she was holding onto lately.

"Hi, Cosette." He said as he set the basket on the table, beginning to unload the contents. "Where's Papa?"

Cosette didn't look up from her journal as she spoke. "He went to the shop and then he said he was going to take a walk or something. I still think he's off to meet that dreadful woman he's been seeing."

Enjolras shook his head with an eye roll as he put some strawberries for Cosette on the table. "It's good for Papa to meet someone new. There hasn't been anyone since.."

"Since Mama, I know, I know." Cosette said sadly as she closed her journal and began eating the strawberries her brother had given her, avoiding his eyes. Their mother had passed away right after Cosette was born, so neither of them had gotten to actually remember her. It didn't help that their father barely talked about her and got upset whenever she was mentioned. Enjolras was okay with imagining her as some wonderful, strong woman, but it really bothered Cosette that she knew nothing about her mother.

Enjolras watched his sister for a moment before deciding to change the subject. "Do you work at the Musain tonight?" He asked lightly. He wasn't particularly fond of the idea of Cosette working when she was so young, but they'd both had to get jobs in order to support their father's attempt at pursuing a career as an inventor and to pay the landlord.

"Unfortunately, yes," Cosette groaned a bit, running a finger through her blonde locks and sighing. "Really, there has to be a better job than this. I love Muschietta and the boys, but the customers are certainly not as enjoyable. I'm going to go crazy working there for the rest of my life."

The blonde boy rolled his eyes at her, sighing. He knew that Cosette hated her job, and it pained him that she couldn't do something that she enjoyed more. He wished he had a better job himself so that he could take care of both Cosette and his father, but times were hard in the village. "You will not be working there for the rest of your life, I promise you that, Cosette." He took his book from the basket and sat down next to her with a smile. "Besides, you're going to meet some wonderful man and he'll take care of you. You'll never have to work again. Now, eat your breakfast and let me read for a bit." He tapped her nose before leaning back into his chair and diving into the book Feuilly had given him. Then, he was sucked into Jean Maximilien Lamarque's head.

* * *

Later that same day, in a castle a few miles outside of the village, a man sat alone in his bed chamber, sketching an image of a beautiful man that he hadn't been able to get out of his head for the past couple of days. It was a God, he believed - Apollo, perhaps - who had gorgeous blonde locks on top of his head, a strong jaw, piercing blue eyes and a broad chest. He was half in love with the image of the man, who for all he knew, was a figment of his imagination. He laughed bitterly as he finished - it was a bit sad that this was all he had for entertainment.

The man's name was Alexandre Sebastein Grantaire Christoff the Second, but he really preferred to just be called Grantaire and nothing else. Since he couldn't leave the castle even if he wanted to, he spent his days like this - sketching alone in the dark, avoiding the others in his castle and mirrors at all costs, drinking until he couldn't remember anything anymore. Sometimes he took a stroll about the castle, sometimes he read, and sometimes he indulged in conversation with his dearest friend, Eponine, but he mostly kept to himself in his room. It was a rare occurrence that he slept, but when he eventually did fall asleep, he was awoken with horrible nightmares of his past. His existence was sad and lonely, and he wished to end it.

And he would've ended it by now if the fate of the others in his castle didn't rest squarely on his shoulders. He sighed. This was all his own fault - the fact that he and all the others were trapped here, apart from their friends and family, the fact that all of his friends had been cursed to live a life as something not human, and the fact that he was now ugly and painful to look at. The only way he could fix it was to find someone to fall in love with him.

He found it almost amusing, he realized, as he left his bed to look out the window. No one had loved him when he was a beautiful prince, and now he was except to find someone as a beast, if he could even be called that. Instead of being turned into a vicious, ugly animal, - which would almost be better, considering he'd be able to eat people who bothered him - Grantaire was still a man. He looked the same as he always did, except for being bald, having permanent scars and bruises all over his body, and having the most hideous tattoos upon his face. He was as hideous and broken on the outside as he felt on the inside, and it only filled him with more hate than he'd had before the curse.

Grantaire looked back at the drawing he'd just finished of what he believed to be Apollo, sighing again. He wished that Apollo would show up on his front doorstep, unafraid of the way Grantaire looked, and nobly proclaim that he would give the man a chance. He laughed at himself for that - it was never going to happen. He would be stuck like this forever.

He looked back out the window to see a man walking up to his front door, a snarl immediately forming to his lips. If the man were to see him or any of the others, Grantaire had no doubt in his mind that he'd run back to the village to tell others. And then he'd have to deal with an angry mob on his front porch. He certainly couldn't have that, could he?

* * *

Enjolras woke up the next morning at the same time he always did, except he wasn't peaceful as he usually was. He made his way through the house, immediately realizing that his father had never returned home. Normally, Enjolras would just roll his eyes and go out to find that his father had fallen asleep on a bench or had ended up sleeping over at his new lady companion's house - which Enjolras constantly had to remind him was inappropriate - but today, Enjolras had a sickening feeling in his stomach. Something was wrong.

He woke Cosette up immediately, and after wrestling the blanket off of her face, he told her that their father wasn't there. She sat up almost instantly, looking a bit scared but spoke calmly. "I'm sure it's nothing, Enj, you're just feeling strange..come on, let's go to that woman's house and you'll see that he's fine."

Before they had made it out the front door, he knew she was wrong. Jean Valjean's horse, Michel, was in the street, looking as distressed as a horse could, and the man it belonged to was nowhere to be found.

"Go ask him if something's wrong," Cosette murmured to Enjolras, who looked at her like she was insane. A horse was not going to answer him. She rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the horse.

Reluctantly, Enjolras walked up to the horse and scratched behind it's ear. "Is something wrong, Michel?" He asked the horse, feeling a bit silly as he looked back at Cosette. This was absolutely ridiculous.

The horse neighed and prodded Enjolras with his nose, his eyes wide with fear. Yes, something was wrong.

Cosette made their way toward them and shook her head, looking at the horse intently. "He's trying to tell you something, Enj. I think he knows where Papa is."

"...Cosette. He's a horse. He doesn't know where his own eyes are, let alone.."

The horse neighed and prodded Enjolras again, stamping it's foot. Enjolras sighed and stroked the horse's fur, glaring at Cosette before smiling at Michel again. "Okay, Michel, okay. Can you show me where Papa is?"

Before Enjolras could blink, the horse ran off in the direction of the woods. Cosette gasped and punched Enjolras' arm. "I told you he knew! Follow him." She insisted, pushing Enjolras towards the direction Michel had gone.

It even surprised Enjolras himself that he chased after the animal, calling after him to stop. When the horse did, he climbed on top of him and stroked his fur again. He now had to admit that maybe Cosette was right, and gave into asking the horse for help. "Michel, show me where Papa is."

Michel the horse began running again in the direction of a castle.

* * *

**AN: Feedback is greatly appreciated. My tumblr is sketchingapollo if you'd rather do it that way. Let me know if it's worth continuing, yeah? **


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